The Torch

The Torch

Many students who believe they were denied due process in campus sexual assault proceedings have turned to the courts, alleging that they were deprived of critical rights and, often, that they were victims of sex discrimination in violation of Title IX. On the whole, those cases have been an uphill battle for plaintiffs, although a recent decision in a case involving the University of California, San Diego took a very robust view of public university students’ due process rights, potentially improving the legal landscape for future plaintiffs. Meanwhile, others proceed.

This week, a “Bias-Free Language Guide” posted on the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH’s) website made its wayaround the Internet and was ruthlessly mocked by the masses before UNH decided to remove it. Although the document explicitly was not intended to be a list of words punishable by the university, online commenters suggested that the list of “problematic” words was overly broad. The Guide discouraged community members from using the words “American,” “homosexual,” “overweight,” “rich,” and dozens of others.

Virginia Tech is reinvigorating its crusade to impose an ideological litmus test on professors being assessed for promotion and tenure. The university’s recently updated guidelines for a tenure candidate’s dossier include several previously unwritten provisions highlighting the importance of reporting one’s contributions to “diversity and inclusion” in and out of the classroom in order to get ahead at Virginia Tech. While “diversity” as a concept is open to broad interpretation, in the university setting it has often come to signify a particular set of ideological beliefs and values, often focused on aspects of identity such as race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and disability status. That is certainly the case at Virginia Tech.

The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler’s iconic feminist production, has been called “the most important piece of political theater of the last decade.” It is regularly performed by student groups on college campuses across the country and has inspired large-scale movements to stop violence against women throughout the world. And yet, it is not difficult to imagine that overly broad university harassment policies could force administrators and students alike to reconsider holding productions of the play on their campuses.

CHICAGO, July 30, 2015—Yesterday, a federal judge ordered Chicago State University (CSU) not to “take any steps to shut down the CSU Faculty Voice blog or interfere with its operation in any way.” Although the order does not address the ultimate merits of the First Amendment claim, it allows the case to proceed without any ongoing threat of retaliation for speech critical of CSU’s administration.

This morning, Representatives Matt Salmon, Pete Sessions, and Kay Granger introduced legislation on campus sexual assault that would provide meaningful due process protections for the accused. The bill, the Safe Campus Act, includes many common-sense provisions that, if implemented, would make campus adjudications fairer and more reliable.

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 29, 2015—Texas Christian University (TCU) has abandoned its stated commitments to free speech and due process after a group of Internet commenters were offended by one student’s social media posts and complained to university administrators.

Last week, the highest faculty governance body at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said it wouldn’t pursue punishment of professor Sara Goldrick-Rab for her controversial tweets, but faculty at the state’s flagship institution say the University Committee’s rush to publicly condemn her words has done lasting damage to their academic freedom.